A Derbyshire businessman who holds a party every year to bring lonely young people who have left the care system together has backed calls by TV personality Joe Swash to offer them more help.
Malcolm Prentice, chairman of Swadlincote-based rail maintenance firm MTMS, says too many of the young people are socially isolated and need more people like Joe to speak up for them.
Former EastEnders star Joe explored the experiences of young people coming out of the care system in a hard-hitting BBC documentary Joe Swash: Teens in Care, which was screened last week.
It is a subject close to the heart of the actor and presenter as his mum Kiffy has been a foster carer for more than 15 years. The documentary looked at what happens to these young people when they hit 16 and find themselves alone and often without a support network.
The show sees Joe, a former winner of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, talk to young people in care to hear their experiences from such a young age.
This is something Malcolm knows only too well through his work organising a Christmas party, with the Derbyshire Freemasons, for teenagers and young people who grew up in care.
The Christmas party invites people between 16 and 25 who have been through the care system and now left for a full turkey meal and some entertainment.
He said: “These young people have been through so much from such a young age and they are left feeling very alone and isolated when they leave. They tell me their stories and it is just heartbreaking that they have been through so much.
“It is really important that someone like Joe Swash is raising awareness of this and putting it out there as not many people will have heard what they are going through.
“He did a brilliant job and asked the right questions, particularly when interviewing Josh MacAlister, who is responsible for putting together an independent review of Children’s Social Care.
“More needs to be done to help them after leaving care. They are young people and need the support, the same as anyone the same age.”
The young people attending the paper all live independently across Derbyshire and Staffordshire, which means they can be socially isolated and have no one to spend Christmas with.
The event is run by volunteers and members of the Derbyshire Freemasons an MTMS in order to give the young people a pre-Christmas treat.
They responded by offering to organise the whole thing, with Mr Prentice taking a leading role and offering to host the event every year.
Each year, the young people receive Christmas cards and presents, with a hamper full of essentials and treats. They tuck into a three-course meal and get to enjoy some entertainment. The event is held Ashfield House Freemason Hall, in Burton.
